Welcome to Our Idol Rules

So, here it is... Our Idol Rules.

You see, like millions of TV viewers out there we have been intently watching American Idol since season #1. And all the while we've been struck by one thing... it's not the talent of the performers, it's not the brilliant simplicity of the show it is... the gigantic mistakes made by so many of the people that try out.

So many of these mistake are so simple... yet contestants make them over and over. And since we've grown tired of watching the contestants repeat these mistakes over and over we decided to list them here for all to see.

Disclaimer

Yeah, yeah, we know disclaimers are lame. But we do need to make it clear that this is strictly a fan site created and maintained in fun. All images and multi-media content are the property of the original copyright holder(s). This site is in no way affiliated with American Idol, FOX, FreemantlelMedia, 19 or any of their affiliates.

So, you see Idol wanna-bees…here’s the thing. If you’ve been doing musical theater all your life, we don’t want you. If you’ve cut albums on second rate labels in the past, we don’t want you. If you’ve had personal voice coaches since you could walk, we don’t want you. If you’ve been groomed by your parents for a life in the spot light, we don’t want you. What we want is a good story. We want the down home, girl/guy next door who can sing like crazy but hasn’t been discovered. That’s why Kelly Clarkson won. That’s why Fantasia and Carrie Underwood won. That’s why Taylor Hicks and David Cook won. And that’s why Kris Allen won. It’s also exactly why Adam Lambert didn’t win. We don’t want the make-up and the dramatic lighting…and we dont want Kat McPhee and Trenyce and Syesha Mercado. America wants a feel good story. And American got one last night. Congrats Kris!

A lot of contestants make the mistake of trying too hard to be “unique”. What they don’t understand is the huge difference between “unique” and “memorable”.

For example, Sanjaya was unique. The problem was that the only thing that made him unique was a wacky hair-do. At the end of the day, no matter how unique you are, you aren’t going to win.

On the other hand, past winners like Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, and Carrie Underwood were memorable. They were memorable because they were each able to combine a compelling story line with an outstanding voice. They didn’t rely on trying to be memorable, they just were memorable. And that’s why they won.

Never sing something that was performed by a past winner. You can’t top Kelly Clarkson’s winning performance of “A moment like this” with the fireworks in the background and the raw emotion. So don’t try. Stick to something that won’t get you compared to a previous champion.

Submit YOUR IdolRule!

Have you thought of an IdolRule that we haven't? Do you think one of OurIdolRules needs to be revised? Then let us know! Just email your IdolRule to ouridolrules@gmail.com. If your IdolRule makes the cut we'll add it to the list...and you too will be an idol star (well, sort of).